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Monday, September 15, 2014

Meet Your Makers: Jenny and Eric Contakos of Takopus Ink

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your handmade business: Hello! Takopus Ink is made up of husband and wife duo Jenny and Eric Contakos. We create all manner of tentacle-y things to wear and hang on the wall. From mixed media wall octopus to screenprinted upcycled tees and a few other things in between, we bring a small part of the cephalopod world to dry land.

How did you come up with your business name?

Our business name is an amalgamation of our last name, Contakos, and our main subject, the octopus. Tako is also the Japanese word for octopus-a convenient bonus!

Where do you live?

We live right in the heart of old Allegheny City-that’s the Allegheny Center area of the North Side for you young’uns.

Who’s in your family?

Our family is made up of cats Aella, Nate, and Maggie and their human servants Eric and Jenny.

If you could sit down and talk to any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?

We would love to meet Salvador Dali. He had an incredible mind, a sweet mustache, made brilliant art, and had a rare Colombian ocelot named Babou. Babou is the coolest!

What inspires you?

Obviously we love things with tentacles! We started Takopus Ink as a creative outlet. We both work daytime desk jobs and we think it’s important to explore and undertake artistic endeavors and have art around us.

What is your favorite item you make for Boutique 208 and why?

Our mixed media wall octopus are classically Takopus and so fun to make because they all have different personalities.

What is your favorite item at Boutique 208 that’s not one of your own and why?

Pittsburgh Pottery is great - one of us wants a Jagoff mug really, really bad.

What advice can you offer to someone who would like to start selling their handmade creations?

Get out and talk to people, show off your art, believe in your talent, and give Instagram a try.